Three is a Magic Number
by Altra Palantir
Summary: Deanna Troi gets herself into more trouble than she ever bargained for. New Chapters!
1. 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek. This is why I am broke. Do not sue me. It will be a waste of your time.  
  
Author's Note: I don't know why I wrote this. I think it stemmed from a conversation with my mother about how she had always wanted Deanna to marry Worf and not Riker. She says it'd be great to have little empathic Klingons running around the Federation. I agree, but I also think it's too late to separate Deanna from Will. Hence, this story. Enjoy.  
  
Three is a Magic Number  
  
The day after she and Worf split up; Deanna Troi felt a bit... strange. It wasn't until a week and a major ship-wide crisis later, after she found herself suddenly back with Will Riker, that she noticed it again. She felt strange... but happy. She loved Will, and he loved her. They knew that now, and nothing could come between them...  
  
Deanna had never been so miserable in her entire life. She was sick; violently, horribly sick, and for the past hour or so had been wondering how her stomach could continue to empty itself when all she had eaten was a small salad and a chocolate sundae. Fifteen minutes after she was sure she had stopped, she contacted Beverly in Sickbay.  
  
In the turbolift, on the way there, she felt... a presence. It was almost like déjà vu. She racked her mind for what it was. Something familiar, she was sure of that, but what? Suddenly it hit her. It had been a strange experience, not only for her, but for everyone else aboard as well. It hadn't exactly been real, humanoids don't age eight years in a few days, so it wasn't at all acccurate. No wonder it had taken her so long to remember.  
  
"Beverly," she said, walking into her friend's office. "I'm pregnant." She waited for her statement to sink in. The Doctor blinked, numbly, not quite sure if her friend was joking or not.  
  
"What?" she asked.  
  
"I'm pregnant," the Counselor stated again, almost as shocked as the Doctor.  
  
"How do you know?" Beverly asked, "Are you sure?"  
  
"I'm a Betazoid. Of course I'm sure." Deanna replied.  
  
"All right then, if you say so," her red-haired friend sighed. "Sit down and let me get a tricorder." Deanna complied. Beverly scanned her quickly. "You're right," she said. Deanna nodded. "Wait," the CMO added, in disbelief. She scanned the Counselor again. "Deanna. This is strange," she said, absently, scanning the Betazoid for the third time. "I don't mean to pry, so I'm not going to ask you to explain how this happened, although I can guess, but I think you ought to look at my readings, and I think we need to call Riker and Worf in here."  
  
"What!?" Will Riker exclaimed, his eyes widened in shock. "You're what?"  
  
"Commander, it's not life threatening, she's only pregnant." Beverly explained calmly.  
  
"With who's child?" Worf asked. Deanna turned away sheepishly.  
  
"That's where it takes a little explaining. It appears, both."  
  
"How is that possible!" Riker exclaimed.  
  
"She is carrying fraternal twins. In this case, very fraternal." Beverly replied. Worf choked. Riker simply stared.  
  
"So, let me get this straight," he said, as soon as he regained his composure, "Deanna is having twins, and one of them is mine, and the other is his?" "Yes." the Doctor replied. Both men sized each other up for a moment, then turned to the Counselor and glared.  
  
"No!" she exclaimed, "It's not what you think! No, I mean, it didn't happen like that! I mean. Will, Worf and I broke up over a week before you and I. well." she floundered for a moment, then fell silent. Oddly enough, the Klingon began to laugh. He received sharp glares of varying degrees from the others.  
  
"I had heard that Klingon sperm can live up to nine days outside the body, but I had not quite believed it to be true," he explained, as soon as he had halfway composed himself. Riker began to laugh as well. Very quickly, they were both on the verge of collapsing on the floor.  
  
"Would you two get a grip on yourselves!" Beverly ordered, "This is serious." Deanna looked hurt.  
  
"I'm sorry." Riker replied, "It's just that, well, now that we know no one's at fault here, I thought about how we're going to explain this to our children in ten yea." suddenly his face grew serious, "Oh god! I'm going to be a father."  
  
*(**/\**)* 


	2. 2

Disclaimer: Status still unchanged.  
  
Author's Note: I'm sorry, I couldn't resist having a P/C ready room scene in this, even though this isn't about them. (Don't worry, it isn't off the plot)  
  
Chapter 2  
  
When the door chimed in his ready room, Captain Jean-Luc Picard expected it to be his first officer, as he was the only one of the three who hadn't brought him their side of the news yet. He looked up from the PADD he was reading briefly. "Come" he said. Instead of Will Riker it was Beverly. She smiled, and sat down on his couch.  
  
"I'll be very surprised if your day has been half as strange as mine has been." she said.  
  
"So would I." he replied, a bemused expression on his face. He sat on the other end of the couch. "Actually, I'm surprised Will hasn't spoken to me about it yet."  
  
"Oh, I'm sure he will as soon as he gets over the shock of realizing that he's going to be a father." Beverly grinned. "A week ago I would have never considered that this actually could happen."  
  
"What? That Will would become a father?" the Captain dead panned.  
  
"Well, that too." Beverly laughed.  
  
"You learn something new everyday." he replied.  
  
"On this ship, I learn things I didn't even know that I didn't want to know." Beverly joked. They both laughed again. The Captain stopped and his eyes grew wide with some sort of internal disbelief. "What?" the Doctor asked.  
  
"Beverly." Jean-Luc said, "I just realized something. Deanna's a Betazoid; she's empathic. Worf is a Klingon."  
  
"And, so?"  
  
"Have you ever seen an empathic Klingon?"  
  
"An empathic." The Doctor said, collapsing on the couch in a fit of laughter. "No, really," she said, trying to control herself, "It isn't funny. It isn't funny at all. The poor child." She continued to laugh. "The poor child. Having Lwaxana for a grandmother will be bad enough without being Klingon to boot!" She stopped, realizing what she had just said. "What is Lwaxana going to say?"  
  
*(**/\**)* 


	3. 3

Disclaimer: The fact that I have to put one says it all  
  
Interlude  
  
"I don't care what you say, Will, I am NOT telling my mother." Deanna replied, firmly, resisting the urge to stand up from the couch.  
  
"Deanna!" he sighed, exasperatedly, "She has to know eventually." He sat down next to her, taking her hands in his.  
  
"Eventually." she repeated. "I'll tell her then."  
  
"She wouldn't be that angry, would she?"  
  
"Who said anything about angry?" Deanna wailed, almost laughing. "She'll find this as funny as Worf does! I'll never hear then end of it!"  
  
"Oh, Dee!" Riker laughed, "you won't anyway. Don't worry about that."  
  
*(**/\**)* 


	4. 4

Disclaimer: Own this series I do not.  
  
Author's Note: Don't expect another chapter for a while. I'm still waiting for my friend to give me my tape with the Lwaxana Troi episode on it. This means that since I haven't seen an episode with her in it in a while, I need to refresh my memory before I write her character much, so I don't get it wrong. I will try to persuade my friend to look harder.  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Chief Medical Officer's Log Stardate 49441.3  
  
Aside from the strange timing of events surrounding their conception, Counselor Troi's twins are developing at a completely normal rate for their species. Worf's child is slightly larger than Riker's, but as the fetus is half-Klingon, that is to be expected. It is not hurting the other child's development. As far as I can tell, Deanna will give birth to perfectly healthy twin boys approximately four months from now.  
  
"Captain, we are being hailed." Worf said, moments after his console beeped.  
  
"Open a channel."  
  
"Captain Picard!" Lwaxana Troi smiled coyly, "How nice to see you!" Suddenly the Captain was very glad the younger Troi was not on the bridge. He looked at his first officer and saw him pale.  
  
"I am fine, thank you. What brings you to the Enterprise?" he asked, calmly. This was going to be an interesting visit, to say the least.  
  
"Oh, I was in the neighborhood, and I thought I would stop by and visit my daughter; if that is alright with you, Jean-Luc."  
  
"Why, it just so happens that the next week or so is the perfect time for a visit, Mrs. Troi." He heard Worf grunt behind him. "Enjoy your stay."  
  
"Thank you, Captain, I'm sure I will.  
  
Counselor Troi? the Captain's voice came through her commbadge.  
  
"Yes, sir?" she asked, glad she had swallowed the mouthful of salad the moment before he opened the channel.  
  
Would you mind coming down to Transporter room 3? he asked.  
  
"Of course not, sir," she replied. "I'll be there in a moment."  
  
"Who's our guest?" she asked, as she walked into the room.  
  
"Your mother," the Captain replied, matter-of-factly. He was puzzled at the shocked look of horror on Deanna Troi's face.  
  
"My. mother?" she asked, eyes wide.  
  
"Yes. Oh," he said, realization dawning on him. "You haven't told her, have you?" He fought to control the mirth in his eyes, and strove to hide the emotion with anything else. She shook her head.  
  
"This isn't funny, Captain," she scowled.  
  
"I know, Counselor. I'm sorry." He tugged at his shirt just as Lwaxana materialized.  
  
"Captain! Deanna." she began. Her eyes grew wide as they fell upon the counselor. "How nice to see you!" You have been busy, haven't you, Little one, she sent.  
  
*(**/\**)* 


	5. 5

Author's Note: I'm sorry I took so long! I really am. See there's this thing called Marching Band, and I'm in it, and it kind of takes over your life between July and October. I barely had time to watch Star Trek, nevertheless write about it. But I'm going to make it up to you, and post two chapters now.  
  
Disclamer: Paramount owns these characters. I don't. I'm just borrowing them while Paramount isn't using them anyway.  
  
"Deanna!" Riker exclaimed as he stepped into the turbolift. "I." he stopped when he saw the other occupant. "Lwaxana, how nice to see you."  
  
Well, little one, aren't you going to tell me who the father is? Lwaxana sent, with a small smirk on her face.  
  
"Mother!" the Counselor exclaimed. "It isn't fair to leave Will out of the conversation? Please, if you're going to say something, say it out loud."  
  
"Hello, Commander." Lwaxana said, unperturbed. "How have you been recently?"  
  
"Just fine," he replied, his eyes darting nervously from mother to daughter. Lwaxana's smile grew.  
  
"I'm glad to hear that. You didn't look entirely well on the bridge a few minutes ago."  
  
"Yes, well," he faked a cough. "I might be coming down with something. Remind me to see Dr. Crusher about it later." The corners of Deanna's mouth turned up a bit.  
  
It's William isn't it? Lwaxana asked. Not a bad choice my dear, but I wish you two had.  
  
"Mother, Please!" Deanna cried, blushing. Riker stared accusingly at the elder Troi.  
  
"I'm sorry, dear, I didn't mean anything by it. I was just curious. Commander, I decided to visit because I thought Deanna and I could do a little catching up. Apparently we have more to catch up on than I thought." She smiled. "Well, I probably caught you two in the middle of your shifts. I'll just go to the quarters Jean-Luc gave me, and we can meet in Ten- Forward for dinner later." I'm right, aren't I, Deanna? She couldn't resist adding.  
  
Yes, mother, her daughter replied exasperatedly, You're right. As soon as Lwaxana was gone, Riker stopped.  
  
"Does she know?" he asked, putting his arm on her shoulder.  
  
"Not completely. I think Worf will agree with me that we want to leave him out of this as long as we possibly can."  
  
Riker smiled. "Thank you, Deanna. I'm sure he will."  
  
*(**/\**)* 


	6. 6

Disclamer: Suing me would be a waste of your time. I do not own this story. I don't own any money either. The only thing in my pockets at the moment is this funny little dust/lint thing and a piece of loose thread.  
  
"Why, Hello, Mr. Woof!" Lwaxana exclaimed as she sauntered into the turbolift.  
  
"Mrs. Troi," he said, too stunned to even correct her. She crossed her arms and sighed theatrically, to enhance the effect.  
  
"I'm hurt, Mr. Woof. I feel almost... betrayed!" Absorbed in her miniature performance, she didn't notice the security chief's discomfort. "I come to visit my only daughter, who I haven't seen in months,and what do I find?" She paused, and looked at him. He stared at her as stoically as he could manage. "She's six months pregnant! Six months, and she hasn't said a thing to me. Why do would she do this to me? What do you think, Mr. Woof?"  
  
"Maybe, er, she wasn't ready to tell you," he stumbled.  
  
"And why not?"  
  
Worf grunted. "Maybe she wasn't exactly sure how you would react?"  
  
"I'm overjoyed, or rather, I will be after I get over how hurt I am that she tried to hide this from me. What else would I be?" Worf stared at her blankly. "My point exactly. I don't know why she's so awful to me. Tell me, Mr. Woof, if you were going to have a baby, wouldn't you tell your parents first thing?" The turbolift stopped, and Worf gratefully got off.  
  
"Goodbye, Mrs. Troi," he said, formally, and walked away at a rather brisk pace. The doors closed again.  
  
"Well, that was odd." Lwaxana said to herself. Why was he suddenly in such a hurry?  
  
*(**/\**)* 


End file.
